The Great Commission

Scripture Reading

Acts 1:1-11

1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Main Point

Jesus is the crucified and resurrected King of Glory, and He expands His kingdom in this world through divinely empowered yet ordinary disciples.

Message

1) The Kingdom of God Came (v1-5)

Luke began the book of Acts with a personal greeting to someone named, “Theophilus” (v1). This is the same way Luke began his Gospel, by referring to “Theophilus” (Lk. 1:3) as – in one sense or another – the primary recipient of Luke’s research and summary of “all that Jesus began to do and teach” (v1).

It’s obvious that Luke didn’t intend “Theophilus” as the only recipient of his Gospel or of the book of Acts, since the contents of both are aimed at a far wider audience. It seems likely, therefore, that “Theophilus” was a sort of benefactor or financial supporter of Luke’s work on both of these books.

At any rate, Luke wrote the Gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts as a kind of narrative along with a sequel. In fact, the two books are often found attached to one another when ancient manuscripts are discovered.

Acts is, most basically, the continuation of what Jesus began in His incarnation (His life and ministry on earth). And that’s what Luke is telling us in v1-5.

In Luke’s “first book” (his Gospel), he “dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he [Jesus] was taken up.” (v1-2). Here, in v2, “taken up” likely refers to Jesus having been raised up upon the cross, rather than His ascension, because of the way Luke arranged the order of events in v1-5.

v1 – Jesus did and taught; v2 – Jesus gave commands and then was “taken up” (crucified); v3 – Jesus “presented Himself alive” after His “suffering;” v4-5 – Jesus “ordered” His disciples to wait for the “promised” Holy Spirit.

Now, you don’t have to agree with me that “taken up” in v2 refers to Jesus’s crucifixion, but there is no doubt that v3 highlights two major emphases of the Gospels and also the book of Acts.

The first is that Jesus’s resurrection is the climax of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Luke says, “He [Jesus] presented himself alive to them [i.e., to His disciples/apostles] after his suffering by many proofs…” (v3). This sort of language is common throughout the book of Acts, especially when we read about Christians bearing witness to the person and work of Christ. Those earliest Christians believed that Jesus of Nazareth really did die, and that He really did come back to life again!

The Apostle Paul helps us understand just how significant Christ’s resurrection was-and-is when he says, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins… [and] If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:14–19).

But, indeed, Christ has been raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20), and He has declared victory over death and the grave (1 Cor. 15:54), and all those who turn from sin and trust in Jesus (i.e., all those united to Christ) will one day be resurrected from the dead along with Him (1 Cor. 15:23)!

Christ’s resurrection from the dead was-and-is His vindication as the Son of God. It was-and-is the undeniable proof that God has justified sinners. And it was-and-is the basis of unwavering hope for all those who look upon Christ as savior and Lord. Once again, Christ’s resurrection is the climax of the gospel!

Friends, do you believe there really was a man who lived, and who died, and who was raised to life… never to die again?

This is the unique message of Christianity! Jesus isn’t just a good teacher or do-gooder in the world… Jesus is the one human in all of history that fought death and won!

Is this how you think about Jesus? Is this the center of your gospel message? Is Christ’s resurrection from the dead the basis for your hope and assurance?

The second major emphasis highlighted in v3 is the content of Jesus’s teaching – Luke says Jesus spoke to His disciples about “the kingdom of God.”

This deep-rooted biblical concept – “the kingdom of God” – is a prominent theme in each of the Gospels, but especially in Matthew and Luke. These New Testament authors pick up on promises God made throughout the Old Testament… namely promising that the Messiah would rule the world from the Davidic thrown, and that the Messiah or Christ (unlike David of old) would reign forever and with perfect righteousness (Is. 9:7; Jer. 23:5).

We don’t have time to get into the details this morning, but the New Testament clearly intends to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah, who is Lord of lords, and who came to establish God’s eternal kingdom on earth. That’s why it’s not surprising at all that the disciples asked Jesus about the “restoration” of the “kingdom” in v6.

Before we get to that, however, let’s see how Luke is using this “kingdom” theme to link the person and work of Christ in the Gospels with the work of Christ – by/through the Holy Spirit – in the book of Acts.

Yes, the book of Acts is usually titled “the Acts of the Apostles,” but it’s more appropriately titled “the Acts of the Holy Spirit.” And the Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity, sent by the Father and the Son, who continues the work which the Father and the Son began.

You see, in Christ, the kingdom of God did come to earth. Jesus showed His authority over all by healing diseases, by commanding the wind and the waves, and even by imposing His will on evil spirits when He encountered them.

Ultimately, Jesus was demonstrated to be King by His resurrection from the dead and by His pouring out of the Holy Spirit. So, it is no coincidence that Luke underlines Jesus’s command for His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the “promised” “Holy Spirit” (v4-5). Such an outpouring would be that climactic signal to the world that the kingdom of God had indeed come!

And this is what the book of Acts is all about… But Acts isn’t only about God’s kingdom coming; it’s also about God’s kingdom expanding.

2) The Kingdom of God Spread (v6-8)

Jim Hamilton says, “The message of Acts is that Jesus has been raised from the dead, that his kingdom is inaugurated and soon to be consummated, and that the work of kingdom-building is continuing through the disciples.”[1]

And v6-8 tell us how this “kingdom-building” project would be carried out.

It is no overstatement to say that v8 creates a framework for our understanding and interpretation of the entire book of Acts. Every single time we arrive at an interesting passage, or we begin to wonder, “What am I supposed to learn from this?” or “How do I apply this to my life or to the church today?” …we should ask, “What did Jesus say in Acts 1:8?”

This verse is a sort of interpretive grid for the whole book because Luke records the spread of the kingdom of God in Acts (which corresponds with the spread of the Holy Spirit) in precisely the same sequence that we find in v8!

Before we get to v8, let’s consider v6-7… which set up the emphasis of v8.

First, let’s look at v6. The disciples/apostles asked an appropriate question. “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v6).

This was a good question because the message Jesus brought during His earthly ministry was the “good news of the kingdom of God” (Lk. 4:43)… When God the Son came to earth in the man Jesus Christ, the message was, “the kingdom of God has come near” (Lk. 10:9, 11, 11:20, 17:21).

The disciples were not wrong to focus their attention on the kingdom of God in the world… But their error was focusing on the timing of it.

Jesus responded to them in v7. He said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” Jesus rebuked His disciples, but we want to dial in a bit on what exactly He rebuked them for.

In v7, Jesus spoke of “times” and “seasons” which “the Father has fixed by his own authority.” This sort of language is what underlies the doctrine of God’s providence – the biblical reality that God governs, directs, ordains, and in some sense arranges whatsoever comes to pass.[2]

In almost all cases, God’s providence – His wise and sovereign plan – is completely unknown to us before we see it unfold in front of our eyes. That’s why theologians have often understood God’s providence in terms of God’s secret or hidden will.

Most often, God’s ultimate will or plan is secretor unknown to us because He has not revealed it to us. God simply calls upon us to trust in His goodness and wisdom, whether or not we can see such things in our circumstances.

In v7, Jesus rebuked His disciples for prying into God’s providential plans, and Jesus called them to keep their focus on the mission, rather than speculation.

Friends, do you believe God has ordered time itself according to His plans?

Do you believe God has arranged everything in your life, in our community, in our country, and in the world to move along under His sovereign authority?

If God doesn’t govern the unfolding of all things in time, then who does?

Notice also the specific sort of prying the disciples were doing here. Jesus was rebuking them for wanting to know when God would “restore the kingdom.” In short, the disciples were asking much the same question as many have done right up until our own day. “Are these the end times?” “Are we living in the last days?” “Is our generation the last?”

I want to get to v8, but some of us really need to hear v7 this morning. Jesus’s rebuke of His disciples should serve as a corrective for any of us who tend to focus a good bit of our attention on the timing of our eschatology.

Do you find yourself thinking and talking a lot about the chronology of the events around the return of Christ? Does that stuff dominate your study and your conversation?

Or does your eschatology emphasize the hope-filled promise of Christ’s return, Christ’s renewal of all things, and Christ’s promise of forgiveness to all those who repent (i.e., turn from sin) in anticipation of that coming day?

Let’s see, in v8, what Jesus wanted His disciples to focus their attention on.

As I said before, v8 is a radically important verse in the book of Acts… and it’s actually one of the Great Commission statements of the NT.

Now, when someone refers to the Great Commission, they’re often thinking about the end of Matthew’s Gospel. Turn with me there (Matthew 28:18-20) for a moment, and let’s see it together (pg. 784).

In each of the Great Commission statements (we’ll look at 3 this morning), we will find some similarities. Let me show you what I mean.

Jesus came to His disciples and said, “18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18–20).

Luke concludes his Gospel with a similar commission, including similar elements. Let’s turn there together as well (pg. 832).

Luke tells us that Jesus said, “46 it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Lk. 24:46–49).

In Matthew’s commission, Jesus explicitly claimed “all authority,” but here Jesus is “the Christ” (the true and promised King), who has implied authority as the one who distributes power from “on high” (i.e., with God the Father).

In Matthew, Jesus commissioned His followers to “make disciples,” but here He commands to “proclaim” the message of “repentance” and “forgiveness” in His “name” to “all nations” [παντα τα ἐθνη].

In Matthew, Jesus promised to be with His disciples always, but in Luke 24 Jesus said He would send them “the promise” of His “Father.” And we learn elsewhere that this “promise of [the] Father” is none other than the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:26, 15:26; Acts 1:4-5), the one in/by whom both the Father and the Son dwell with-or-inChristians.

And now let’s flip back to Acts 1:8.

Here we’re reading yet another commissioning statement from Jesus to His disciples… and this one appears at the beginning of the book which records what happened afterward.

Look at v8. Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Just like the other two we’ve read, this commission speaks of Christ’s own power which will be given to His disciples… In this verse, like Luke 24, Christ’s power comes explicitly through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

This commission also fits well with the others in the assignment given to Christ’s disciples… They are to be Christ’s “witnesses” in the world.

But Acts 1:8 is more specific than either of the other two when it comes to geographical and ethnic expansion… and this is key to understanding the whole point of the book of Acts.

As we read and study through Acts (over the next year or so), we will see God’s kingdom expand in exactly this sort of geographical and ethnic progression. We will begin in Jerusalem, we will make our way through broader Jewish territory, then we will see God’s kingdom expand into the world of the Gentiles, and, finally, we will see God’s kingdom grow to the ends of the known world at that time.

We will see that nothing can stop God’s kingdom expansion, and we will learn that opposition only increases the speed of growth. We will see earthly powers confused and crushed, and we will see example after example of Christ’s reign over all.

We will read about quite a bit that’s unique to this particular moment in human and redemptive history. The book of Acts records events from a key moment in God’s plan to glorify Himself by bringing about salvation through judgement. So we shouldn’t expect to see everything that happened in Acts happening in our own day (any more than we’d expect another giving of the law at Sinai or another crucifixion and resurrection).

But we may also note that God’s kingdom expansion methods are always the same. Or, put another way, the general terms of Christ’s commission remain the same for us today as they were for those original disciples.

The risen Lord is with His people still… and our mission is to make disciples… to proclaim forgiveness of sins for all who repent… and to be His witnesses in the world… eagerly anticipating that coming day when our King will return.

3) The Kingdom of God will Come (v9-11)

These last three verses of our passage this morning record a largely overlooked event in Jesus’s earthly ministry – His ascension. And they also record a hope-filled promise for all those who love and trust the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, Christ’s ascension. After Jesus commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses, and after He promised that He’d send the Holy Spirit to empower them for the task, Jesus was “lifted up” into “heaven” (ESV and KJV) or “the sky” (NASB and NIV).

We know from elsewhere in the Bible that Jesus ascended to the “right hand of God” (Acts 2:33), a place of supreme authority and divine status. We know that it is from the “right hand” of the Father that Jesus continually “intercedes” for all those He came to save (Rom. 8:34).

We know that Jesus’s work of reconciling sinners to God is complete (Heb. 1:3), that Christ “upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3), and that He rules and reigns at this very moment (1 Cor. 15:25).

And the book of Acts will show us all of this in high definition as we go.

But there is also a hope-filled promise here that brings us face-to-face with the tension all Christians must remember in this life – the already and the not yet of the gospel.

The hope-filled promise is there in v11. Two “men” or angels spoke to Jesus’s disciples who were still standing around looking up into the sky. These angels said, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven [or the sky], will come in the same way as you saw him go” (v11).

Here is something to hang onto for anyone who looks forward to that day when Christ shall return!

But, in this promise, there’s a built in not-yet-ness to all that God has promised in Christ.

There’s a real sense in which the kingdom of God has not yet fully come… but it will.

Ours is the task of being Christ’s witnesses – His disciple-making disciples – in the time between His ascension and His return.

May Christ return to find us faithful, and may He continue to expand His kingdom by the power of His Spirit and through the ordinary efforts of disciples like us.

Endnotes

[1] See Hamilton’s full article, describing the major themes and the overarching structure of Acts, here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/the-center-of-biblical-theology-in-acts-deliverance-and-damnation-display-t/ [2] Here’s a helpful pastoral article on the doctrine of providence: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dont-underestimate-providence/ And here is a more technical explanation of the doctrine of providence: https://www.monergism.com/providence-0